John looks to take down Luc Deveraux after a home invasion claims his wife and daughter. The fight pits John against Andrew Scott and an army of genetically enhanced warriors; meanwhile, he must contend with a UniSol in relentless pursuit.
That pretty much says it all! The plot isn't the important part in this movie: the action is, and the sense of hopeless, unconditional desperation and danger that it brings with it. It's brutal and just packed with action that never stops, filmed in a grittily realistic way that both reminds me of and easily surpasses the action of old John Woo movies like The Killer and Hard Boiled. The main character up-and-coming-and-going martial artist and actor Scott Adkins raises the bar on fighting choreography and credibility a few steps compared to the older Universal Soldier movies. He's the star of the show, along with a select few other fighters and stuntmen, and in particular the plumber with which both bathroom and mall brawl are battered out, resulting eventually in chopped off fingers, arms and bloodied linoleum floors. I can't stress enough that the fights are intense! It's not just about the gore, it's the professionalism with which it's presented, how real and at the same time overly superhuman it seems (this is Universal Soldier after all).
Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme are both standing somewhat in the sidelines, with a sort of omnipresence in the plot yet with very rare appearances. The script is as clean and professional as the movie, even if it isn't quite as elaborate and revealing as it could be. The character fights his way onwards a daze of vengeance and confusion, and ultimately he goes full circle and doesn't really get anywhere at all. Or does he? It leaves me awed at the fights, but not fully satisfied.
rated 4/5: fo shizzle
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